Chapter 19:

Chapter 19, A Very Bad Day

Mori held on to Haruhi as she shook and narrowed his eyes. He was beyond angry with whoever that man was that grabbed her. As the shadows wrapped around them, he pulled her closer and gently ran his hands up and down her back in soothing circles. Trekiva smiled softly and felt the shadows shift, indicating that they had arrived at his desired location. Commanding the shadows to relax, Trekiva calmed slightly as the dark but comforting décor of the Sanctuary became clear. The room they arrived in had a few couches around a long coffee table in dark colors. He motioned for both children to sit as he walked towards one of the two doors along the walls of the room. He paused when he saw Asuda walk through it quickly with a concerned gaze.

"I am fine, my child," he soothed softly. "Your niece needs your attention a bit more than I. Tend to her, I will be speaking with the Coven."

Asuda nodded and went over to a small set of cupboards near the far wall behind the children and began to steep some soothing tea. He didn't know what caused his niece to shake with such fear but he could guess given what had been shared in the last few days by those around her. Trekiva rarely spoke to the Coven as it was, and he only deemed them needed when it was a danger he knew that would get out of hand if handled improperly. With a heavy sigh, Asuda grabbed a few cups and began to pour the tea he had made. He saw Mori lift his head slightly as he neared and smiled softly.

"Something to soothe her nerves," he explained. "White Jasmine tea with a hint of mint."

Mori nodded in thanks and nudged Haruhi gently. When she turned, she saw Asuda holding a cup of steaming tea towards her. She shakily turned and took the warm cup.

"Thank you," she mumbled quietly.

Asuda smiled and set the other cup on the table in front of Mori. "I am unsure as to what happened," he said calmly. "But know that you are safe here. Master would not let anything harm you if he can at all help it."

Haruhi nodded softly and took a sip of the tea and felt her nerves calm slightly. Mori gently leaned over to pick up the cup offered to him to do the same. After a few sips, Asuda asked if Haruhi could explain what happened. She did so, shaking slightly and the tremors in her voice made him reach out and gently squeeze her hand in reassurance. As she spoke, Asuda kept a calm face and aura to ease her all the while he was raging. He hoped that the young Ootori's Void was able to give them more insight as to what was going on in the Katayama household before he went to solve it himself.

*~*0o0o0o0o0*~*

Trekiva let out a long sigh as he walked away from the room his family was in. This was a blatant mark and attack against his blood and it infuriated him to no end. The part that made him the most angry was that he couldn't do much of anything until Haruhi was introduced to his court in Mongolia, as well as her introductions to the Historians and the Antiago family in Europe. The only way around that was to bring the key members of his court to Japan and introduce her that way. The only draw back, that he could see so far, was the arrival of the Arch-Mage Kayon. His arrival would draw far more attention then needed for a multitude of reasons. The foremost being was his title. As the Arch-Mage of the entire Arcane Community, his arrival would need to be announced to the entire Council of Mages in Japan and that, unfortunately, meant that the Katayama would know of his arrival as well. The best way to avert catastrophe would be to word the reason he was that he was visiting family due to the fact that Kayon was in Union with his only daughter Satsuki, although it wouldn't make sense since he had left Mongolia to come here. After a few moments, a thought crossed his mind.

I could ask if Lady Alyona could assist, Trekiva thought as he sat down. Since Alyona is the only Balance Sorceress on the Isle, or better yet, being one of the few with high enough standing in the entirety of Asia other than the Arch-Mage and myself, she could make it seem as if his visit is due to her acceptance of a new student or her consideration of becoming the new representative for the Mage's Council. The Katayama do not know that Qurdox is actually Haruhi's but they do know that Alyona is going to need permission to teach her young daughter outside of the Academy, as well as any furture students.

Trekiva sighed again and drew a series of runes in a circle on the dark wood desk before him. Once they were formed, he allowed some of his energy to infuse with them before they began to glow a soft blue. After a few moments, the room faded into darkness with a soft light illuminated above him.

"I call my council to order," he said calmly to the darkness, his eyes flashing as he completed the spell.

After a few moments, a few more lights shined, illuminating those seated underneath them. The first being an aged man with long platinum hair held in a long braid draped over his shoulder. He had wise gray eyes and was dressed in long silver-blue robes. The next was a younger man in appearance with similar clothes. The only differences were that the man had short darker than night black hair, clear sky-blue eyes and his robes had a gold and white sash across his waist and diagonally across his chest. The final light illuminated another young man but he looked almost a near replica of Trekiva. The only difference between the two was that while Trekiva had blue eyes, the younger had deep crimson.

"It is rare that you ask of us, father," the younger man said calmly. "What troubles you that would call for us?"

"Does this have something to do with the reason you have gone to Nihon?" the elder questioned, his voice rasping slightly.

"It does," Trekiva answered sadly. "Through a series of events, I have come to need your aid."

"Explain dear friend," the male in the middle spoke softly.

With a deep breath, Trekiva informed the three men of the events that led up to his departure to Japan and what has happened to force his hand in calling them. As he spoke, he saw the younger man narrowing his eyes as well as a deep glow begin to form in them.

"Calm your ire, Tsuke," the male in the middle spoke again. "Your wrath will not fix the situation without causing more problems for your father."

Tsuke glared at the man but closed his eyes and tried to take a few deep breaths before speaking again. "How can you be calm about this, Kayon? She is family to you as well due to your Union with my sister."

"What makes you think I am calm about this?" Kayon asked, his eyes flashing to a darker blue slightly despite no other outward sign.

"The young sorcerer holds his ire better, young prince," the elder spoke. "I can feel his anger bubbling just underneath his demeanor but this is only part of the reason, is it not, young emperor?"

"That is correct, Ancestor Vyen," Trekiva bowed. "I want to give her my full protection as family but she has not been given her introductions to the courts. She also needs to be presented to the Historians and the Clans in Europe. The initial plan was to do so after her term of school ended for the summer but with recent events, she may need to be introduced sooner."

Vyen took a rasped breath in before slowly letting it out. "My brood and I can visit Japan around Hallow's Eve and be present for her Union. It has been a long eon since we have flown in those skies."

"I would be able to head to the Isle as well," Kayon spoke after a few moments of silence.

"Wouldn't that make matters worse for my niece?" Tsuke asked blandly.

"If I went to her directly. I have a few matters to attend to on the Isle. The foremost being the establishment of my representative on the Isle. It is a toss between Lady Alyona and her family or the Tsuji Sect."

"Alyona is my child's Arcana instructor," Trekiva supplied. "I know of the Tsuji. They are partnered with part of my Medical Corps and incidentally are working on a partnership with the youngest Ootori. It would aid his company in building as well as give them a better understanding with the child. What of the main council, Tsuke?"

"They won't be happy about the sudden switch of topic," Tsuke sighed. "But when they learn that our last family has been found they will understand. Since she is family, they will want to be present for the Union Ceremony."

"They will not have that grace," Trekiva stated firmly. "The Ceremony is family and close affiliations only. Which, incidentally, also include the ones that she has spent the last year of schooling with."

"And who would that be?" Vyen asked.

"Tamaki Suoh, Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin, Kyoya Ootori, as well as Alyona Nekozawa and her family."

"I can understand Alyona and her family but why the others, father?" Tsuke asked curiously. He recognized some of the names due to working with the companies attached to the names.

"They have become a bit like a second family to her through friendship, hardship and schooling."

The three men nodded softly in understanding. Such bonds made a family and they were happy for her, after all, family was more than just blood. With that set, the four men began to continue conversing about the steps needed to arrange everything so that only the bare minimum people knew what was going on and why.

*~*0o0o0o0o0*~*

Kyoya had a small smile on his face after he had gotten off of the phone with one of the companies that Asuda had given him files on. After what had happened at lunch, the day had gone to hell in a hurry.

*~*Flashback ( Kyoya )*~*

He was able to get Haruhi excused for the rest of the day with a quick call to Ranka asking if he could come up with a reason for her sudden disappearance from the school and for the rest of the day. Ranka couldn't come up with anything but, when he gone to the office, Chairman Suoh had the perfect idea. He had offered to inform her teachers that he needed to talk with her about the classes that she was going to be taking in the next term since he had a few ideas that might get her a step closer to her goal as well as talk about how her scholarship was coming along. When Kyoya had asked if such a conversation was actually needed, the Chairman just smiled.

"I have actually already talked to her about the classes already," he smiled. "The only thing that I really need to solidify with her is the unfortunate change in her school uniform. The school board has finally put their collective foot down and said that she needs to conform to the original dress code as there have been a few complaints from the other students about the lack of fairness in letting her wear a specialized uniform while the others cannot. My argument that the other students had the option open to them, they just needed to bring their requests up to me, have been disregarded."

"Haruhi has informed them that they only need to ask you about it on numerous occasions," Kyoya sighed in irritation. "Very well, when she gets back from wherever Imperium Trekiva took her, I will inform her. I will also have to see about how she will get some of the uniforms..."

"No need," a calm voice spoke. "They have already been purchased."

Kyoya turned to see Abraham and a couple other men standing behind him dressed in a similar fashion to him. The symbols on their coats indication that they were from the Historian's Archive, one from England and the other from the minor branch located in Tokyo.

"Historian Abraham," Kyoya greeted with a soft bow.

Abraham returned it with a soft nod and looked at the Chairman. "I take it young Lord Ootori has informed you of what has happened."

"There is very little that happens in this school that I do not know through one source or another," the Chairman stated. "However, having more accurate details always helps."

It only took a few moments for Abraham to fully catch Yuzuru up to speed on the events of the last few days. After he was done speaking, the chairman was silent as he went over the conversation in his mind.

"How many uniforms did you purchase?" Kyoya asked during the lull, ready to calculate the amount needed to repay the man.

"With the aid of the young Cuubi, we were able to get all of her measurements to purchase five uniform sets. As well as three sets of shoes."

Kyoya nodded, the numbers flashing through his mind. "Excellent news. I am unsure of where Imperium Trekiva has taken Haruhi but I can guess. I am certain that she will be returned either tonight to her father or in the morning to be here at school."

"Very well then," Abraham nodded. "I will have her new attire sent to the residence when provided with the address."

Kyoya nodded and the Chairman smiled.

"If that is everything," Chairman Suoh stated. "Then I believe that you should get to class Ootori-kun. Do try to have a good day."

Kyoya nodded and bowed softly before heading out towards his next class after giving the Sanctuary's address to Abraham and learning there was no need to pay him back for the uniforms. He intended them to be part of his means of apologizing for how he acted when first meeting Haruhi.

*~*Flashback End ( Kyoya )*~*

Fortunately he was able to get through the last of his classes without having to hear Tamaki question where his "daughter" was but he wasn't so lucky after classes had ended and it was time for the Host Club to meet. When he had arrived to the club room, he was grateful that he had arrived first and was able to make a few calls to some of the companies with little incident. It was when Tamaki and the twins arrived that his headache started. The twins apparently had the class right after lunch with Haruhi and when she didn't show, they got worried. Her last couple classes of the day didn't have them at all so they didn't know if she went to them or not but when she didn't show up during the entirety of the meeting, they went into panic mode.

Kyoya had managed to keep them from doing anything by telling them that the Chairman needed to speak with her about something at lunch and that if she wasn't at her last classes she was probably still talking to him.

"What about Club?" the twins asked simultaneously.

"Since we are only talking about the Gala," Kyoya stated. "I have excused her since she needs to speak with her father, and the matriarchs of the Haninozuka and Morinozuka families about her Union Ceremony."

Two of three had the good will to look ashamed for forgetting about that detail, while the third looked confused but before Tamaki could ask anything, they were promptly set back to the discussion prior to the interruption. Hikaru and Kaoru stated that they would be able to do the fittings for their clothes on Tuesday, making sure to do Haruhi's before club since she still had the tutoring sessions with Ayame after club had finished. Tamaki wasn't much help in the meeting as he was whining about Haruhi not being there but that wasn't really new to the others there. Kyoya had looked up as Satoshi and Yasuchika walked in.

"Sorry we are late," Yasuchika said with a slight edge to his voice that everyone but Tamaki caught.

"What happened?" Kyoya asked, looking at the flickering eyes of the younger martial artists.

"Apparently something showed up at the apartment with our mothers and Ranka inside it still," Satoshi growled. "It got away unfortunately but it didn't hurt anyone."

Hikaru and Tamaki froze and Kaoru looked at the younger Morinozuka concerned.

"Did either of them see who or what it was?" Kyoya probed.

"I think my mother got a good look at them just before she nearly ripped their face off."

"I will have a team sent over to take a look. If possible, I would like whatever blood samples I can get from your mother, Satoshi."

Satoshi only nodded before slumping into a nearby chair, the earlier anger washing off to be replaced with a mix of relief and sorrow.

Kaoru moved over to the younger man and knelt near him. "First time feeling danger from the perspective of someone else?" he asked softly.

Satoshi only nodded.

"It is a bit of a spook when if happens the first time," he explained softly. "I remember when Hikaru and I were kids and there was someone after our dad. He and I got separated and when they tried to get anything out of us, they tried to beat the answers out of us since we wouldn't talk. They were stupid enough to think that we, at the age of six, knew every detail about where everything important was. We only knew the location of one safe and the combination to it because it was our safe."

"We felt the strikes done to us," Hikaru added, kneeling on the other side. "Plus the tremor of fear in the other before we were hit. The shock of feeling that doesn't go away but you begin to recognize it sooner and how to handle it when you do."

"Do you know if she was hurt?" Kyoya asked, handing a small cup of water to the young teen.

"No," he answered, taking the cup. "Mom wasn't hurt, but she was worried and scared but I think it was for Haruhi's dad rather than herself or my aunt. I think they are back home by now."

"Then I will send a couple people with you to collect what they can if that is acceptable."

Satoshi only nodded before taking a drink of the water and closed his eyes as he leaned back in the chair. He never wanted to feel that again, and he was pretty sure his father didn't want to either.

Kyoya looked at the others and stated that he had already set it so that there would be no hosting hours that day since he wanted to make sure that everything was set for the Gala and the few preplanned cosplay for the week. Luckily he had already spoken to Ayame about Haruhi's change and agreed to set it up, as well as inform his classmate that she wouldn't see Haruhi that day due to prior engagements.

*~*0o0o0o0o0*~*

Akira's hand suddenly went through the wall with a resounding crunch, causing his cousin to look at him concerned. Akira rarely ever lashed out unless it was something concerning their family being in danger. He had felt his wife's fear roll through him and it enraged him to no end. Yorihisa looked at his normally calm cousin and friend with understanding eyes as they flashed between crimson and dark gray before helping him pry his hand out of the wooden wall. Both men had gone to the Morinozuka estate to gather what was needed in preparations for the Ceremony as well as transfer some of Haruhi's and Ranka's things there for ease. Once Akira's hand was out of the wall and beginning to heal, Yorihisa looked towards the door as it opened and his eyes narrowed at the blood stains on his wife's and cousin's clothes gently leading a shell shocked Ranka into the room.

"Whose blood?" he asked darkly.

"Fortunately," Michiko sighed. "It doesn't belong to any of us but it does belong to someone that if I see again I am ripping them apart."

"That is if I do not do so first," Sayuki hissed.

Both men looked at the fuming woman and Akira saw the underlying rage inside her eyes. When they looked over at Ranka both felt their jaws clench. The normally vibrant and "happy-go-lucky" appearance of the cross-dresser was gone and was replaced with one of pure terror. Ranka's clothes were slightly askew and torn from whatever happened and his long red hair was cropped off slightly at the shoulder on one side, making it uneven. The man had a few splatters of blood on his face but both men could tell that it wasn't his but belonged to whomever their wives retaliated against.

"Who?" both men asked, their eyes slowly shifting.

"Someone that will either appear in the hospital under the pretext of being mauled by an animal or survivor of a bad car accident with severe lacerations to the face," Sayuki hissed. "I don't know who they were or their affiliation but they were near hell bent on either capturing or killing Ryoji. Since we didn't know which, Michiko and I assumed that it was the latter and acted in his defense when they tried to drag him out."

After she spoke, several members of the staff rushed in, four to begin fixing the wall that neither woman cared was damaged, while two others went to each woman and Ranka. Since the man was still in a state of shock, the staff approached him slowly, spoke calmly and helped get him to the closest bathroom to get him cleaned up while the ones tending to Michiko and Sayuki took them to the master baths to get cleaned.

"Do not discard anything with blood on it," Michiko ordered. "I will Read it to find out who those fools were and why they were sent."

The servants nodded and quickly got the women undressed and in the warm waters of a bath before relaying the message to the others.

Yorihisa sighed as the others left and looked at his friend and cousin.

"Go to her," Yorihisa stated to him. "Help her calm and I will inform the others of the Coven of this blatant attack."

"Be sure to inform our Imperium as well," Akira said as he walked towards the baths that help his wife.

Even though he wouldn't see it, Yorihisa nodded and went towards the study to make the phone calls. Today was forming out to being a very bad day and when he got a hold of the one or ones responsible for the attacks on the children and now on the one he loved above all things, they would beg for mercy and death when he was through. That he vowed as his eyes flashed crimson before picking up the phone and making the needed calls.